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Caught Stealing transcript
THE ROOKIE Episode 13 "Caught Stealing" INT. PATROL CAR - BRADFORD/CHEN, NIGHT CHEN is trying to stay awake while BRADFORD is doing paperwork. BRADFORD You didn't nap, did you? CHEN I didn't have time. I've got to find a new place to live. BRADFORD No excuse, Boot. Napping is the key to midnight shift. No shorter than 20 minutes. No longer than 40. But, hey, if you're comfortable ignoring my institutional wisdom - CHEN I'm getting evicted. BRADFORD And whose fault is that? CHEN Not mine. They're turning my building into condos. BRADFORD That's what happens when you gentrify a working-class neighborhood. Something catches CHEN’s eye out in the street. CHEN What the hell is that? It’s a tall person with some kind of gas mask on. BRADFORD What? CHEN That. She gestures out the window, but when BRADFORD looks up, the street is empty. CHEN There was a guy standing there with a mask on. He was like seven feet tall. BRADFORD Mm-hmm. CHEN I saw him. He was right there. BRADFORD Boot, if you make me get out of this car for a hallucination - They get out and walk toward the spot where CHEN saw the apparition, but there’s no sign of it. CHEN What - God, he was right here. BRADFORD Make-believe time is over. He goes back to the car. CHEN moves forward and spots someone standing amid the trees off the side of the road. CHEN Stop! Police! (moving into the woods) Tim? (approaching the figure) Step out. Step out! Hands where I can see them. Peel the mask off slowly. Slowly. The figure reaches up to pull the mask off, revealing not a face, but a bright white light pouring out from under the mask. She hears maniacal laughter, then - She wakes up. She’s sitting in the patrol car with several other patrol units shining their headlights on her and a fellow officer on a loudspeaker. OFFICER Welcome to midnight, Officer Chen. CHEN Oh, my God. (as BRADFORD leans in to take a photo) No. No. INT. STATION - MAIN ENTRANCE, DAY NOLAN encounters CHEN as she comes in for her shift. NOLAN Hey. Happy to be back on days? CHEN God, yes. I don't know if you heard, but it was - NOLAN pulls his shirt open to reveal a t-shirt under it with CHEN’s image on it, the photo BRADFORD took. NOLAN Tim had shirts made. CHEN Of course he did. Well, you know, just wait until it's your turn, Officer In Bed By Ten. NOLAN What can I say: I'm a morning person. CHEN Mm-hmm. They walk down a hallway and encounter WEST already in uniform. WEST Good morning. NOLAN You're here bright and early. WEST Hey, if you're not early, you're late. CHEN That's a stupid saying. WEST What's her problem? NOLAN Uh - (shows off the t-shirt) WEST I wore mine in too! CHEN It's not the t-shirt, although it is annoying. I can't find a place to live. WEST You could always move back home. CHEN No, I really can't. WEST Or you can bunk up with Nolan. He lives in a mansion. NOLAN Hey, it's not a mansion. It's a guest house of a mansion. But you're welcome to crash on the couch if you need to. CHEN Yeah, thanks. But I am determined to find a nice, clean, affordable place to live, even if it kills me. NOLAN (to WEST) It's not a mansion. INT. STATION - BRIEFING ROOM, DAY NOLAN enters the roomm in uniform but finds GREY in his seat. GREY Oh, no, Officer Nolan. You will be leading roll call this morning. NOLAN Sir? GREY I didn't stutter. Get up there. NOLAN goes to stand behind the podium amid good-natured heckling and jeering from his fellow officers. NOLAN What now? GREY The clipboard. NOLAN (reading from clipboard) Uh, "Memo to all divisions from the Chief of Police. Complaints about police officer entitlement have risen sharply during the last few months." (GREY raises his hand) Sir? GREY Do you know what that means? Police officer entitlement? NOLAN I assume it has to do with unauthorized perks. Free food, things of that nature. GREY And what is LAPD's policy on gratuities? NOLAN No officer shall receive any gratuity, gift, favor, or promise thereof, as it may result in, or be perceived as, payment in exchange for influence, bias, or direction of an investigation or enforcement of punishable offenses. GREY Nicely done. Chen, West, will you please join Officer Nolan up front? (They move to stand with NOLAN) Have your training officers discussed this policy with you? ROOKIES Yes, sir. GREY And what was your takeaway? LOPEZ Sir, if I may? GREY Oh, sounds like a little CYA. LOPEZ No, sir. Boot and I walk the straight and narrow. But businesses like having cops around. A half-priced meal every once in a while is just community relations. BRADFORD It doesn't mean we show them favoritism. GREY You agree with this, Officer Bishop? BISHOP I'm not saying I've never accepted a free cup of coffee, but it's usually the exception, not the norm. GREY What about you, Officer Nolan? NOLAN I got into this job to help people, not to help myself to free stuff. GREY Cute line. It's a bunch of bull, but - NOLAN It's not. GREY Really? Do you pay fair market value for that beach house you live in? NOLAN No, sir. But I act as caretaker for the main house when Ben is away, so technically I am exchanging services for my rent. GREY And what happens when that exchange isn't enough? And your buddy gets a ticket - or worse? NOLAN Then he'll have to pay for his actions. GREY Okay. Favors are a slippery slope, people. And so are freebies. Look, I like to keep it real in here. There is the letter of the law and there is the spirit. It is your jobs to know the difference. But make no mistake - as police officers, you have power. Usually we like to focus on the kind that you holster on your side, but the power that lives within your badge can be equally as dangerous. That's it. All right, guys. Be safe out there. INT. OFFICES, DAY DISPATCH (V.O.) 7-Adam-19, break-in at Westside Fertility Clinic. BRADFORD and CHEN walk into the clinic’s front office, where the glass door has been shattered. CHEN We haven't received a single freebie since I've been with you, so why did you defend that to Grey? BRADFORD Because hard rules like that are stupid. What we do doesn't exist in a vacuum. Circumstances dictate actions. Not the other way around. (calls out) Police. Anyone here? DR. ROGERS Yes. We had a break-in. BRADFORD I can see that. There's been a rash of burglaries in the neighborhood recently. Mostly addicts looking for stuff to sell. DR. ROGERS This wasn't an addict. They took embryos. BRADFORD That's a new one on me. CHEN Do I write this up as a burglary or an abduction? BRADFORD You want to put out 50 Amber alerts? It's a burglary. DR. ROGERS Officer, there's a crucial time element here. Without proper temperature control, those embryos will be compromised. CHEN Any idea who took them? DR. ROGERS They're part of an ugly custody dispute. A lesbian couple. The eggs we harvested were from only one of the women, Marilyn Tenni. Her ex is suing for custody rights even though she doesn't have a biological connection. BRADFORD Okay, we're gonna need names and addresses for both women. DR. ROGERS Of course. But you should know when I called Marilyn to tell her, she got very upset said she was gonna kill her. EXT. STREET, DAY WEST and LOPEZ have pulled over a woman in a car with her dog lying on the seat. WEST License and registration, please. HEATHER Look, I don't have time for this. WEST Look, no one does. But you blew through that stop sign, so - HEATHER Because Prince Charles is going to die. WEST Excuse me? HEATHER My dog. He's a King Charles Cavalier and he just ate a whole bag of macadamia nuts. WEST Look, I'm sorry, but I still have to write you up. HEATHER You're kidding. I'm racing him to the vet. They have to pump his stomach - those nuts are toxic for dogs. WEST Look, I understand, but this will only take a minute. License and registration, please. HEATHER Oh. If he dies - WEST I hope your dog's okay. Have a nice day. HEATHER Go to hell. She drives off. LOPEZ Do you think a ticket was the best resolution, Officer West? WEST You heard Sergeant Grey this morning. We have to remain vigilant. If we let everyone who's in a rush off the hook, the city would be undrivable. LOPEZ Her dog is dying. A warning would have been sufficient. WEST Okay, a dog that size would have to eat a pound of nuts to induce ataxia. She drove through the stop sign in a school zone. That's a pretty serious infraction. LOPEZ We blow stop signs all the time. And park on lawns. And drive on the wrong side of the road. WEST Okay, that that's different. We're cops. We only do it when necessary. LOPEZ Exactly. Discretion is an important part of this job. Even if the outcome is different than following the letter of the law. WEST With all due respect, I was raised differently. A law is a law. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - HALLWAY BRADFORD and CHEN approach an apartment whose door is ajar. They can hear a heated argument going on between two women. MARILYN (off camera) I can't believe you took - Those are mine! ABBY (off camera) They are not yours! They're mine, too! MARILYN Give them to me! Give them to me right now! ABBY Don't you dare hit me again. MARILYN Listen, I said give them to me! ABBY I'll break these before I give them to you. BRADFORD LAPD. We're coming in. He and CHEN enter the apartment. ABBY is holding a rack of test tubes; MARILYN has a metal bar in her hand and is threatening ABBY with it. MARILYN Give them to me. ABBY They're mine too. MARILYN They are not. BRADFORD Hey, hey. Put down the weapon. MARILYN Those are my embryos. She - She stole them from the clinic. ABBY No, they are your eggs, and we had them fertilized by a sperm donor together. You remember? MARILYN Yeah, and the judge ruled that I get to use them. Do you remember that? ABBY Not if they're gone! She moves as if to throw the tubes. MARILYN lunges at her, and BRADFORD steps in to stop her, handing her off to CHEN. BRADFORD Officer Chen, secure her. Ma'am, give me the tubes. ABBY No. MARILYN Please. Those - Those are my last chance to carry my own baby. Please, don't take that from me. Please. ABBY We were supposed to have kids together. I saw you through your whole cancer treatment. And then you dump me for a yoga instructor? BRADFORD (to ABBY) Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hey. Listen to me. You're angry, okay? You have every right to be. But doing this? It won't put your marriage back together, okay? Nothing will. But you will come to hate yourself if you go through with this. So put the tubes back in that container. Sobbing, ABBY slowly places the rack of tubes in a small cooler on the counter. INT. PATROL CAR - BISHOP/NOLAN DISPATCH 7-Adam-15, respond to single-car accident. Fourth Street Overpass. BISHOP and NOLAN get out and walk toward the crash site, where two paramedics are working on an unconscious man. NOLAN Do you think I'm compromised living at Ben's house? BISHOP Probably. (off his look) You asked. NOLAN Yeah, but I meant what I said to Sergeant Grey. If he asked me for a favor, I'd say no. BISHOP Okay, but why even put yourself in that position? I-If it were me, I'd have to pay my own way. Like a grown-up. (to the paramedics) Driver okay? PARAMEDIC He's been stabbed. Left side. Looks like he passed out, then hit his head in the crash. NOLAN Any ID? PARAMEDIC Not that I can find. BISHOP (on radio) Control, I need you to run the following plates: Five Frank Victor Alpha two seven. DISPATCH Car registered to Matthew Rodriguez. Date of birth 7/7/1990. BISHOP Copy that. Send another unit to our location for an accident report. It appears Mr. Rodriguez has been the victim of an assault. We're accompanying RA to the hospital. (to PARAMEDIC) We'll follow you. PARAMEDIC Got it. They load the man into the ambulance on a gurney as BISHOP and NOLAN walk back to their shop. NOLAN That guy didn't get stabbed driving alone. So either it happened before he got in the car, or his attacker bolted after the accident. I've got to admit I thought there'd be more mysteries on this job. BISHOP Be happy there aren't. The unknown is a pain in the butt. NOLAN Sure, but still, every once in a while you want a puzzle to solve. The ambulance doors burst open and the wounded man jumps out and starts to run off. MAN Aah! BISHOP and NOLAN give chase. NOLAN (into radio) 7-Adam-15, suspect - uh, victim on foot. Fourth and Cesar Chavez. Southbound. The man leaps over the side of the overpass. BISHOP and NOLAN catch up and look over to see bloodstains where the man landed, but no man in sight. NOLAN Okay, now I really want to know what happened. EXT. STREET BISHOP gets back in the shop, where NOLAN has been looking up the car’s owner on their database. NOLAN So our vehicle is registered to Matthew Rodriguez, but our stabbing victim is not Matthew Rodriguez. BISHOP Hmm. Looks like Mr. Rodriguez has a rap sheet with gang orders. You know what those are? NOLAN It means a judge ordered him not to associate with gang members, wear their colors, or go to their neighborhood. BISHOP Odds are a guy like that is connected to our John Doe stabbing. NOLAN I thought officers were supposed to avoid making assumptions. BISHOP There's a big difference between making an assumption and a likely scenario. NOLAN Which is? Oh, let me guess. When it comes from you, it's a likely scenario. BISHOP There's hope for you yet, Officer Nolan. Now let's pay Mr. Rodriguez a visit, and see if he can shine some light on our stabbing victim. INT. RESTAURANT, DAY LOPEZ and WEST are responding to a call. DISPATCH 7-Adam-07, respond to a false-imprisonment call. 974 Ocampo Street. LOPEZ Hi. Are you the manager? MAN (off camera, muffled) Hey, get me out of here! BRUCE Yes. Hi. LOPEZ Sir, we received a call that one of your customers is being held against their will. BRUCE He's not a customer. He's a scam artist. WEST Excuse me? BRUCE This guy sets up first dates with women, runs up the bill, and then sneaks out the back door. He's been doing it at restaurants all over the neighborhood. He tried to do it to that poor woman over there, but one of our kitchen staff caught him and locked his ass in the walk-in fridge. LOPEZ Give us a minute. (going over to SUSAN, sitting alone at a table) Seems like you're having a pretty bad day. SUSAN Tinder is like the clearance rack at an outlet store. WEST Dating apps are all bad. SUSAN He ordered a $500 bottle of wine for lunch. And then the charcuterie board. And a cheese plate. And that steak Au poivre. And the bill is $680. I don't know how I'm gonna cover my rent this month. LOPEZ Did you already order dessert? SUSAN No. LOPEZ Go ahead and get something. Maybe two things. SUSAN Why? WEST Look, I know what you're doing. She bumps up the bill to $700, we can charge her date with a felony. LOPEZ Very good, Officer West. WEST It's not our job to put our thumb on the scale and change the outcome here. LOPEZ Are you lecturing me on police work, Boot? WEST No. But it's still s- LOPEZ But nothing. Go hook up our dine-and-dasher. (to SUSAN) Definitely get the crème brûlée. EXT. PARKING LOT, DAY LOPEZ and WEST have loaded the suspect into their shop. LOPEZ is enjoying some crème brûlée to go. LOPEZ Best crème brûlée in the city. WEST Seriously? You're totally fine with this? LOPEZ Susan isn't stuck paying the bill since the owners can write it off as theft. The only person paying for the crime is this jerk who committed it. That's the spirit of law. Now take a bite. WEST No, I don't - I don't want it. LOPEZ Come on, get off your high horse and try a little. WEST No. Uh I think it's- Just - Mnh-mnh. LOPEZ Just a little bite. WEST Wow. LOPEZ Mm-hmm. Told you. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING, DAY BISHOP and NOLAN knock on the door of MATTHEW RODRIGUEZ’ apartment. NOLAN Matthew Rodriguez, police. Open up. BISHOP Nolan. (points out a drop of blood on the floor in front of the door) Ready? NOLAN Mm-hmm. NOLAN kicks the door down. They find a man lying dead on the floor, in a pool of blood, with a knife in his hand. NOLAN Well, I guess now we know who stabbed our John Doe. BISHOP You sound disappointed. NOLAN No, I just thought it might be a little less cut and dry. BISHOP Well, believe me cut and dry is a lot less paperwork. (into the radio) 7-Adam-15, we need a homicide unit at 4495 Barrington. Our John Doe is now a murder suspect. INT. STATION - BREAK ROOM WEST is poring over a form he’s trying to fill out. LOPEZ You're not done yet? At this stage in training, you should've knocked that out in two minutes. What's the problem? WEST I'm- I'm not sure how to write it. LOPEZ It's a simple grand-theft report. WEST It's not simple, all right? We made that case a felony. Something that should've been a citation, we turned into a weekend in jail. And you want me to lie on the report. LOPEZ I seem to remember writing a report about you second day on the job - "bent the truth" about your cowardice in the line of fire. Ringing a bell? WEST Yeah. And I'm grateful. You know that. But I'm not - LOPEZ But what, Boot? More than any other rookie, you should know the difference between the spirit and the letter. Unless you don't think it applies to you. Are you the exception, Officer West? WEST No, ma'am. LOPEZ Yet, here you are, acting holier than thou. Tell me something, do you carry a push knife? One of those fight-for-your-life, "last-resort”, do-or-die kind of knives? WEST You know that I do. I mean, my - my dad gave it to me. LOPEZ Oh, right. Your father. Who all but walks on water - only this knife is illegal. WEST Yeah, right. I mean, half the department carry these. LOPEZ Penal Code section 12-0-20. At the very bottom. Technically it's a dagger. Look it up if you don't believe me. WEST Look, if it's true, then I just won't carry one anymore. LOPEZ That is the wrong lesson to learn here. You're in for a hard fall if you can't see the difference between righteous and rigid. And if that wasn't the first thing your father taught you, he failed you. Now fill out the damn report, we've got to get back out there. INT. STATION - BULLPEN CHEN It doesn't seem right to lock up Marilyn, too. She was only trying to protect her embryos. BRADFORD Nothing we can do. She committed assault. Domestic-violence laws are strict for a reason. CHEN What happened to "circumstances dictate actions"? BRADFORD Trust me, this is one rule I'm all for. Cemeteries are filled with women who'd still be alive if cops had been forced to hook up their spouses the second he or she laid hands. CHEN That is a very enlightened attitude. BRADFORD You seem surprised. CHEN Sir, you surprise me every day. BRADFORD Uh-huh. Go gas up the shop. He and CHEN part ways. NOLAN comes up to walk alongside CHEN. NOLAN Hey. How's it going? CHEN Hey. Yeah, it's been an interesting morning. How about you? NOLAN Same. I found a dead body at the Langston on Wilshire. CHEN How was it? NOLAN Uh, gruesome. Guy took a bullet right to his, uh - CHEN Oh, wait. Not the body. The apartment. NOLAN Oh uh, it was nice. Surprisingly upscale for a gang member. Are you asking for you? CHEN Well, the building needs to disclose if someone was killed in the apartment, so it might mean a break in rent. NOLAN Yeah, just a bit of a questionable way to find a place to live, no? CHEN Yeah, well, traditional clearly isn't working out, so - BISHOP Let's go, Boot. Captain wants to see us. INT. STATION - ANDERSEN’S OFFICE An injured man is leaning on ANDERSEN’s desk while a medic bandages his stab wound. PARAMEDIC That should hold you until you get to the hospital. BISHOP Captain. NOLAN What's going on? That's our murder suspect. ANDERSEN He's not a suspect, Officer Nolan. He's an undercover narcotics detective. ROBERT ORTIZ Robert Ortiz. I'm sorry about the ambulance thing. INT. STATION - BRIEFING ROOM ORTIZ is speaking to a group of officers. ORTIZ I've been undercover inside La Eme for almost a year. Working my way closer to the offshoot in Boyle Heights called Ocampo Loco. They control the cash flow and then bundle the drug money and ship it back to Mexico. NOLAN How much money are we talking? ORTIZ Right now, at least a million. The word is they're gonna ship it tonight. I was about to report it when my cover was blown by, uh, Matthew Rodriguez, who tried to kill me, so I shot him in self-defense. Uh, you know the rest. GREY Officer Ortiz has bravely volunteered to go back in to protect his cover and set up our tactical operation. ORTIZ Last time I was at the house, it was four halcones guarding the money. Heavy-hitters. GREY We're gonna gear up heavy, position ourselves down the street, be ready to initiate a full-blown raid on the house once Ortiz gives us the signal. ANDERSEN Rookies, this is your first high-level tactical operation. Let's be prepared. INT. STATION The rookies and their T.O.s are preparing for their mission. LOPEZ and WEST are walking through the bullpen. LOPEZ Did you read the search warrant? WEST Yes, ma'am. 8531 Winchester Boulevard. Residence is a 1800s Victorian with five bedrooms and two bathrooms. And a guest house. LOPEZ Front door? WEST Solid oak with a copper handle on the right side. BRADFORD and CHEN are at the armory. BRADFORD You know the specs of this equipment, Officer Chen? CHEN That's a Blackhawk Dynamic Entry Special Op Ram. BRADFORD hands her the ram. BRADFORD How much does it weigh? CHEN 60 pounds, sir. BRADFORD Hold it tight. You'll be the breacher. You'll buy a round for every swing it takes to knock that door down. BISHOP and NOLAN are in the bullpen, NOLAN in full tactical gear. BISHOP Walk me through a tactical-gear check. NOLAN Stock zip ties in the loops of the tac vest. BISHOP And then? NOLAN Secure any loose gear tac vest, helmet, et cetera. Finally, secure firearm to thigh rig. BISHOP Very good. Any questions? NOLAN What if I have to pee? (off her look) I'll hold it. I'm good. EXT. STREET, NIGHT A line of patrol cars rolls down the street. The cops take up positions in a line along a fence. GREY All units, we're 30 seconds out. Get ready. Be safe. Officer West, you do the 844. Stand by to initiate. (listens to the wire) Ortiz is in. NAVARRO Where the hell you been? ORTIZ Rodriguez was talkin' to the cops. He tried to stick me when I called him out. So I put a bullet in his head. We got to get out of here. He could've given this place up. NAVARRO How the hell are we gonna do that? We've got a million in cash waiting for pick-up. ORTIZ Pack it up. It's too hot to stay here. GREY That's the signal. Initiate. A silent signal goes up the line, and the police proceed around the corner to the front of the house. A man with a duffel bag is walking to a car parked at the curb; CHEN notices him. WEST Police! Open the door! We have a search warrant. CHEN swings the ram once and the door caves in. The cops pour in and the criminals run in every direction as the officers shout out orders, directions, etc. COPS Suspect ran into the back. Open door to the right. LAPD! NOLAN Open door. Get away from that window. Show me your hands. LOPEZ Step back or I'll shoot. Get down on your knees now. NOLAN Clear! CHEN You good? NOLAN Yeah. CHEN (to suspect) Hands up. Fingers behind your head. Do it now. Back up. BISHOP Hands up! Interlace your fingertips behind your head. (to ORTIZ, quietly) You okay? ORTIZ Yeah. Barely. BISHOP We'll divert to the hospital on the way out. Clear! Coming out! GREY Rookies, special assignment. Follow me. He leads them into a room where money is stacked on a table. A LOT of money. GREY Sorry. Here's what happens now. You see, the money counters and the videographer are on their way. In the meantime, you three get to watch the money. Two people with it at all times. No selfies. Enjoy. He leaves the room. The rookies stand staring at the money. CHEN Where does all this money go? WEST Cash seized during drug raids goes back to Narcotics, where it's used again for undercover ops. NOLAN That's more money than I've ever seen in one place. CHEN Can you imagine? I'd buy a car - no, a helicopter. And learn to fly it so I could avoid all the traffic. NOLAN Yeah, that first big purchase is always tricky, right? The barber in Foxburg? He won the lottery. Bought a big, fancy boat. Ran it aground in Freeport, coked to the gills. I don't think a boat is a good idea. CHEN What about you? What would you spend it on? WEST I'm not playing that game. This is drug money. NOLAN Come on. We're just talking. A million dollars lands on your doorstep. What do you do? Go. And don't say you'd set aside 30% for taxes. WEST Um A new car, I guess. Um, or maybe a trip. Been wanting to do a little traveling. CHEN Let me guess. You'd visit police departments all around the world. Learn their techniques. WEST No. CHEN and NOLAN exchange a look and NOLAN nods. FADE TO LATER Their positions have changed and they’re still talking about the money. NOLAN I'd pay all of Henry's tuition with the money. Just so he didn't have those student loans hanging over his head. CHEN Yeah, they're no fun. I'll be paying mine off until I'm 60. NOLAN Yeah, well, with this money, you could pay them all off and still rent an amazing place by the ocean. Meanwhile, I couldn't afford to buy the room in the house I'm living in. WEST Bet it would have got you something pretty nice back in Foxburg, though. NOLAN Hmm. Biggest house in town and then some. Still can't get used to the cost of living in Los Angeles. It's like you have to add an extra zero to everything. WEST You know, I never really thought about money growing up. We always just had enough, you know? Yeah. CHEN That's what I thought until my parents went bankrupt when I was nine. It took a couple of really bad years before we got back up on our feet. NOLAN Ah, been there. Definitely been days where I would have killed to be sitting across from this much money, there for the taking. WEST Hey, don't even joke about that. I've heard too many stories from my dad about cops who started filling their pockets, convincing themselves that it was a victimless crime, that they were entitled to a little extra compensation for their troubles. CHEN Okay. Well, relax. That's not us. WEST Yeah, that's what they thought at first, too. But then you take a bite of the crème brûlée, and the next thing you know, you're doing three to five for felony theft. I'm sorry. Crème brûlée? WEST Never mind. NOLAN Oh, man. WEST What? NOLAN I just I- still have to pee, but all this - I'll be right back. He goes out to the front room to check with BISHOP. NOLAN All done? BISHOP Just finished. Bad guys on the way to jail, Ortiz on his way to the hospital. So we're headed out. NOLAN You're not waiting for us? BISHOP Nope. But we're leaving a shop behind. Remember shift starts tomorrow at noon, but you want to get in early to do tonight's paperwork. NOLAN Copy that. Are the money counters gonna get here soon? BISHOP I'd get comfortable if I were you. Those guys work at their own pace. NOLAN Copy that. Oh, where's the - He goes off to find a bathroom. INT. HOUSE, NIGHT WEST I'd still do the job. Even if I came into money. NOLAN That's not a shock. CHEN You know, I would, too. You've known what you wanted to do since birth, but I just figured out. There's no way I would bail now. (to NOLAN) What about you? NOLAN Having money makes things easier, not better. CHEN That's not an answer. Would you quit the job? NOLAN And pass up on being hazed on a daily basis by training officers ten years my junior? Come on. They hear a car pull up; the three of them stand and straighten out their gear. OFFICER WILLIAMS enters, speaking into a recorder, GRASER following her with a camera. OFFICER WILLIAMS All right. Officers Graser and Williams arriving on the scene. 1:17 a.m., relieving three uniformed officers. What are your names? NOLAN Nolan, Chen, West. WILLIAMS Anyone else that's come in or out? CHEN No, ma'am. WILLIAMS Great. Hit the road. We got it from here. The rookies head out, but CHEN lingers to gaze at the money while putting on her gloves. WEST You coming? CHEN We might never see this much money again. NOLAN If there's ever another raid and they need someone to sit and wait until the wee hours, I have a feeling it will be us. INT. NOLAN’S HOUSE - BEDROOM NOLAN is fast asleep when someone starts banging on the patio door. BISHOP Nolan, wake up! Nolan! Nolan! NOLAN Did I oversleep? Shift starts at noon. BISHOP Captain called me to bring you in early. NOLAN Why? BISHOP She didn't say. NOLAN That sounds bad. BISHOP It's not good. NOLAN Do I have time to - BISHOP Get dressed. INT. STATION - BRIEFING ROOM BISHOP and NOLAN walk in to find the other two rookies and their T.O.s waiting. BISHOP What's going on? BRADFORD They told us to gather our Boots, same as you. ANDERSEN and GREY walk into the room. ANDERSEN We have a situation. Money counters are telling us that we're missing $250,000. GREY And you three were the only ones left alone with the money. NOLAN Well, the money counters must have made a mistake. GREY There's video of them entering the garage and relieving you. And then they counted the money and got $750,000, and not a million. ANDERSEN Let me remind you, an officer was recently convicted of third-degree official misconduct for taking $70 from a crime scene. He's serving two years behind bars. What do you think would happen to a cop who steals a quarter-million dollars? WEST But we didn't take it. CHEN Uh, maybe the assumption was wrong. Maybe it was always $750,000. ANDERSEN That's not what the intel shows. Guy's on the wire saying it's a million. CHEN Okay, well, we can all vouch for each other. I mean - GREY Not good enough. The only thing that will clear you is passing a polygraph. ANDERSEN Now, I can't, by law, make you take one. It would have to be strictly voluntary. WEST What if we decline? GREY It's grounds for suspension, pending an investigation, and possibly could lead to your termination. NOLAN Well, that's not much of a choice, but - (getting nods from the other two) Yeah, we'll do it. ANDERSEN Okay. Let's go. NOLAN What, now? ANDERSEN Now. She and GREY leave the room along with the rookies. LOPEZ You think one of them really could have done it? BRADFORD Not by themselves. BISHOP Nolan came back into the house to use the bathroom. One of the other two could have hidden some of the money then. Came back, picked it up later. LOPEZ There's no way West participated. That kid is squeaky clean. BRADFORD Well, if it was Chen, she wouldn't get caught like this. BISHOP Sounds like a compliment. BRADFORD I'm just saying she's smarter than that. LOPEZ It doesn't matter if they did it or not. If they don't walk out of there with a flawless polygraph, they're done. INT. STATION - INTERROGATION This scene cuts between the three rookies taking the polygraph test. GREY and ANDERSEN are seated across the table from each officer, and a POLYGRAPH TECHNICIAN is monitoring the responses. NOLAN What am I sitting on? GREY A pressure pad that registers if you attempt to try to cheat the polygraph by clenching your buttocks. CHEN Well, that can't be a real thing. POLYGRAPH TECHNICIAN You just clenched. NOLAN Really? What am I doing now? ANDERSEN Officer West, you seem uncomfortable. Is there something you'd like to get off your chest before we begin? WEST Yes. I, um I had a bite of crème brûlée, okay? And, yes, it was delicious. Like, I-I-I know it was wrong, but now that taste is in my mouth. That sweet flavor of corruption is just but I want to let you guys know that I've learned my lesson. And it will never happen again. GREY Okay. Let's begin with a few control questions. Answer with a simple yes or no. Is your name Jonathan Nolan? NOLAN Yes. GREY Do you live at 7214 and 1/2 Alvarado Street, apartment F? CHEN For the moment. GREY A simple yes or no, Officer. CHEN Sorry. Um, yes. GREY Are your eyes brown? WEST Um, well, m-my mom always says they're more of a dark chestnut, but - Brown is fine. GREY Did you witness anyone taking money? NOLAN No. GREY Were you ever alone with the money? WEST Yes, sir. N-No No, sir. No. Look, I'm sorry. These - These wires make me really nervous, like - GREY Have you ever lied to protect another officer? CHEN No. The POLYGRAPH TECHNICIAN shakes his head slightly and looks at GREY. GREY Let's try that again. Have you ever lied to protect a fellow officer? CHEN Yes. ANDERSEN Regarding the missing money? CHEN No, ma'am. INT. STATION - CONFERENCE ROOM CHEN, NOLAN, and WEST are discussing their experiences. CHEN Why did you tell them about crème brûlée? WEST I don't know. It came up naturally. NOLAN They were yes or no questions. How does crème brûlée come up naturally? GREY and ANDERSEN enter. GREY Boots, you've all passed your polygraphs. ANDERSEN But this is far from over. Go home. Detectives will contact you soon about follow-up interviews. We got to find out what happened to that money before you hit the street again. WEST Yes, ma'am. Thank you. GREY and ANDERSEN leave the room. NOLAN Hey. You know what I like to do after I've been suspected of a felony? WEST Uh, drink? NOLAN Damn straight. I got a stocked fridge. Anyone want to join? WEST I'm down. Lucy? CHEN Yeah, it's barely lunch, and I should make use of the time off and go apartment hunting. You okay? CHEN Why would I be? She departs. WEST spots their T.O.s approaching. WEST Hey. We all got cleared. BRADFORD You're cops. We supposed to be impressed you're not criminals? WEST No - No, sir. BISHOP Part of the job description, really. And you won't be cleared until the money's found, but we'll do our best to try and find it. EXT. NOLAN’S HOUSE - PATIO, DAY NOLAN and WEST are having a beer and talking. NOLAN You know, Talia's right. They don't catch who stole that money, cops are gonna think we did it, no matter what the polygraph said. We'll never be trusted again. WEST Yeah, you're not wrong. So what do we do? NOLAN’s cell rings and he puts it on speaker. NOLAN Hey, Lucy. You're on with me and Jackson. CHEN is in her car, driving. CHEN You know, if they don't find the money, we're screwed. NOLAN We were just talking about that. I keep going over it in my mind. The only thing I can think of is that money was gone long before we ever got to the garage. CHEN (looking in her rear view mirror) What the hell is this guy doing? NOLAN Wait. What? CHEN This black SUV. He's riding my ass. He just hit me! He looks like he's trying to run me off the road! NOLAN Where are you? CHEN Uh, driving south on Griffith Park Drive. I just passed Mineral Wells Trail. Two more SUVs block the road ahead of her, and her cell phone falls on the floor of her car as she hits the brakes. NOLAN Lucy? EXT. ROAD CHEN emerges from her car with her weapon drawn, shoots the windows out of two of the vehicles, and takes cover behind a rock. She fires again and then runs off into the brush with her attackers in pursuit. INT. NOLAN’S HOUSE NOLAN is on the phone to BISHOP as he and WEST race to NOLAN’s truck. NOLAN Bishop, Lucy's in trouble. Someone tried to drive her off the road, Griffith Park Drive. Jackson and I are on our way there now. CHEN pauses, hiding behind a tree to check her ammunition. CHEN Okay, two left. One of the attackers spots her and she fires twice, only winging him. The chase resumes. NOLAN and WEST pull up to the road block in NOLAN’s truck. They jump out with weapons drawn and check the deserted vehicles. WEST Clear. NOLAN (seeing CHEN’s phone on the floor of her car) Phone's in the car. WEST (on radio) Officer needs help, requesting backup and airship. NOLAN Van's clear. WEST Griffith Park Drive. Be advised, plain-clothed officers in pursuit, heading northwest into the woods. BISHOP 7-Adam-19, we're five minutes out. Hold until we get there. CHEN is still running, her attackers are still pursuing. NOLAN and WEST are looking for signs of their trail. WEST Which way? NOLAN I don't know. (noticing a bloodstain on a nearby stump) You seeing that? WEST Yeah. NOLAN That way. WEST You sure? NOLAN No. CHEN has run into a chain link fence and she turns to run another way, only to be confronted by her three attackers. FRANCO DESANTIS Drop the gun. CHEN puts the gun on the ground. CHEN What do you want? DESANTIS The money you stole. CHEN Wait. You're with La Eme? DESANTIS And you're with the LAPD, Officer Lucy Chen, who lives at 7214 and 1/2 Alvarado Street, apartment F. CHEN How do you know all that? DESANTIS Public records. Addresses, police reports. Damn near everything's on the net. So I already know that you were guarding our money. And 250 G's went missing. And I know you're the cop that took it. CHEN I-I didn't steal anything. No. DESANTIS Please. We've seen your place. Ran your credit. You need a serious cash infusion. So where's our money? CHEN I already told you, I don't have it. DESANTIS Tough girl, huh? Well, everybody's tough at first, until they're not. Andres. Cut her up a little. ANDRES pulls out a long knife and approaches CHEN, who knocks him down, but then she’s knocked down by the third thug. DESANTIS This isn't about the money, chica. A quarter million is a rounding error on our gas budget. This is about sending a message. You can't steal from us. Even if you carry a badge. CHEN notices DESANTIS’ boots, which have a distinctive pattern on them. She remembers where she’s seen them before. CHEN I saw you. DESANTIS What? CHEN Outside the house, right before we raided it. You were wearing those boots and carrying that duffel bag with the red stripe. Somebody tipped you off about the raid. You took the money. You got in before we hit the place. You thought no one would notice. DESANTIS chuckles nervously, then turns and shoots ANDRES, who drops, and fires at the other thug, who runs. NOLAN and WEST hear the gunshots. NOLAN (into radio) Shots fired northwest from our previous. While DESANTIS is distracted, CHEN kicks his legs out from under him and tries to wrestle the gun away from him. DESANTIS Damn it! Aah! You messed it all up. Thug #3 has run off and is spotted by NOLAN and WEST. NOLAN Hey! Police! Don't move! The man shoots at them and they return fire, hitting him and bringing him down. THUG #3 Aah! NOLAN Do not move! Stay on the ground! (handing WEST a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket) You got this? I'm going after Lucy. CHEN bends DESANTIS’ fingers back and when he reacts she head-butts him. DESANTIS Aah! CHEN has DESANTIS on the ground when NOLAN comes running up. NOLAN Nice. CHEN Do you have cuffs? NOLAN Yeah. Last pair. CHEN What took you so long? INT. STATION - HALLWAY BISHOP and BRADFORD are escorting a cuffed DESANTIS, with NOLAN and CHEN in tow, when they encounter GREY. BISHOP Paramedics are taking our other suspect to Shaw Memorial. Homicide's working the halcÃ³n this one killed. GREY And the missing $250,000? BRADFORD Einstein here had it stacked on his coffee table. West and Lopez are bringing it in now. GREY All right. Good work. BRADFORD and BISHOP walk off with DESANTIS. GREY And how are you doing? NOLAN Oh, good. Thank you. I think I might have twisted my ankle GREY I meant Officer Chen, Nolan. That was good work out there. CHEN Thank you, sir. I'm just relieved that we found the missing money. NOLAN So I take it we're off the hook about the cash? GREY You are. But to be clear, at no point did anyone actually believe that three rookies knew how to smuggle a quarter mil in cash out of a crime scene. But good work. He walks away, leaving NOLAN and CHEN at a loss for words. INT. STATION - HALLWAY LOPEZ comes off shift to find WEST waiting to speak to her. WEST Hey. LOPEZ Hey. WEST Um, look. In case I haven't said this enough, I, uh I've been training to be a cop my whole life. I walked in here thinking I knew everything about everything, and I can only imagine how annoying that's been. LOPEZ I wouldn't call it annoying. I'd call it - yeah, no, annoying's about right. WEST Well, I'm sorry. You're my T.O., not my dad. I should let you let teach me how to be a cop. Even if some of your methods contradict the things that he showed me, but look, I just hope that you'll understand if I need to take a moment to adjust. LOPEZ I guess I can give you that. WEST Thank you. And thanks for not giving up on me. I wouldn't be here without you, and I'll never forget that again. INT. HOSPITAL - ORTIZ’ ROOM ANDERSEN comes into the room where ORTIZ is recovering from his injuries. ANDERSEN This a good time? ORTIZ Of course. Come in, Captain. ANDERSEN I wanted to see how you were doing. All-you-can-eat pudding. The only highlight of being in a hospital. ORTIZ Do you want one? ANDERSEN Oh, no, no. You enjoy. Hey, uh, I thought you'd like to know. We recovered the missing quarter million. ORTIZ Wow. That's really good news. ANDERSEN Turns out it was gone before we even showed up. Gang member Franco DeSantis took it just before our raid. We pulled his cell records. Turns out there was an incoming call just before he grabbed the cash and walked it out the door. Do you know where that call came from? ORTIZ Mnh-mnh. I have no idea. ANDERSEN The station. ORTIZ And you think I-I-I-I made it. ANDERSEN Oh, I know you did. You see, Franco admitted as much. Tch, tch, tch. (as he tries to get out of bed) Don't. You should enjoy your pudding. The stuff they give you in prison? Whew. Not nearly as good. She steps back to let two officers handcuff ORTIZ to the bed. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING WEST knocks on a door, which is opened by CHEN. CHEN Hey. WEST Hey. CHEN Come in, come in, come in. So, this is my new place. It's great, right? It’s the “surprisingly upscale for a gang member” apartment where NOLAN found the dead man earlier. WEST Oh, um, there's a giant bloodstain on the rug. CHEN Which is how I'm getting 25% off for the first year. WEST Are you sure that's not because you're a cop? CHEN Yeah. He didn't even know before he cut me the break. Landlord was super eager to get it all done, especially because I said I would take it as is. WEST As is? Uh, you mean that - CHEN Oh, yeah. Which is why you're here. (She tosses him a pair of gloves.) You see, friends help friends clean up crime scenes. (hopefully) We'll get poke after. WEST Okay. CHEN Thank you. EXT. NOLAN’S HOUSE - PATIO, EVENING BEN So what should we drink to? NOLAN To paying your own way. BEN That's strangely specific. NOLAN Listen, I really appreciate everything you've done for me. You really helped me get back on my feet. But I'm back on them now, and I can't just keep living here for free. BEN I don't need you to pay rent. NOLAN I need me to pay rent, so what would you list this place for? BEN Oh. Oof. I don't know. Twelve. Maybe eleven? How about we'll just call it $10,000 even? NOLAN A month? I-I-I can't afford that. BEN I'll tell you what. Why don't you pay what you can afford, and we'll call it even? NOLAN Thank you. BEN Deal. They drink. NOLAN And I have to tell you - (reacting to the drink) oh, my God, that's good. But I have to be clear. As a cop, I can't do you any favors. I can't fix a ticket for you. I-I can't help you out of any legal jeopardy. I-I just hope you understand. BEN Totally. And you know what? I would never come to you for anything like that. Okay? I'm super tight with the District Attorney. NOLAN That's not better. BEN So - You know this rent that you're gonna be paying, is it retroactive from when you moved in? NOLAN Um. Yes? BEN That's great. Category:Transcripts